I grew hydroponic tomatoes last year in DW and had very good success. To be honest with you tomatoes are easy to grow in DW, but there are some things that are extremely important to success.

Space: Tomato plants use tons of space. I grew the Money Maker (4" red globe), Heirloom Organic Beefsteak, and Cherry Tomatoes. Each plant took up a 3 x 3 foot square on the floor and grew all the way to my 8' ceilings.

Light: I found using both MH and HPS lights at the same time work well with tomatoes. The HPS light seems to spread, and penetrate the plants better, while the MH light keeps things nice a green. I had two 1KW lights going on at the same time.

Ventilation: One of the keys is good air flow. If you see the plants leaves and flowers moving then you have enough air. The temp got up to 85 deg F every day in my grow room, and sometimes in the summer, I had to open up the windows.

Bugs: Opening up a window, or bringing in plants from other gardens opens up your grow room to bugs, which can be very difficult to get rid of.

Nutrients: I used the General Hydro Flora Nova Grow and Bloom nutrients with no Micro Nutrients except for a Calcium and Magnesium supplement. I started them out at 1.0 EC (by starting I mean they were 6" tall second set of leaves were out), and finished up with a strong 3.5 EC. I started with Grow until the plant was about 3' tall and started to bloom, then after blooming set in full I switched to the Bloom nutrients.

DW: The most critical thing about tomatoes in DW is aeration of the water. I would strongly suggest you start your plants out in 2 gallon buckets, and then move them to 5 gallon buckets once they get about 3' tall. It is much harder to aerate the 5 gallons then the 2 gallons. You can tell when the plants roots are not getting enough air by the roots being brown, they should be white. I would also strongly recommend getting the General Hydro dual diaphragm 4-valve air pump, and using one 4" air stone to each pump when in the 5 gallon buckets, and two 4" air stones in 2 - 2 gallon buckets. You cannot give the plants too much air around the roots!

Media: I started my plants out in rock wool, and finished them in rock wool. The secret to tomatoes is getting air to the roots during the entire growing stage. If you do not get enough air to the roots when they are young, they will never make it to adult plants. The problem with rock wool blocks and DW is that the air just goes around the block while it sits in the solution. You need to get air directly to the roots. To do this, I drill a hole through the center of the block, then use a plug (half the depth of the hole to hold the plant, while the roots hang below directly in the solution). Make sure your air stone is directly below the center of your basket and that your net pot or basket does not prevent air from entering the hole you drilled in the center of the rock wool block.

In case the link part does not work: http://picasaweb.google.com/MEHargraves/Hydroponics#

I hope this helps!

Here is a link that might be useful: My home garden last year.

mrpepper thanks for your post! it is probably the best response i have gotten on all the forums i have gone to for advice; the link you gave helped explain everything better as well. i finally made a supply list, and this is everything i am going to be using. i'll post links:

6 in 1 meter: http://cgi.ebay.com/6-in-1-Multi-Function-Meter-Tester-EC-CF-TDS-PH-C-F-c_W0QQitemZ330304445280QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Pet_Supplies?hash=item330304445280&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205:66%3A2:65%3A12:39%3A1:240%3A1318:301%3A1:293%3A1:294%3A50

mylar: http://htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=47422

GH nutes: http://htgsupply.com/viewnutrient.asp?nutrientID=23698783

Bucket lids with net pots: http://htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=45810

hydroton

rockwool

lighting system:http://htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=49333

DIY DWC...here is a link to the plans: http://www.thcfarmer.com/forums/f95/diy-standalone-dwc-bucket-2551/

i still have to find the specifics in terms of grow box construction, seedling and clone tools, and ventilation but with all that the total comes to 600 dollars. if im gonna do this, im gonna do it right.

Randy,

Stay away from the 1 mil mylar and go for the two mil instead. More expensive but it is much harder to rip.

Mike

hi randy, maybe you would answer a few questions for me how much water is in your 2 1/2 gallon pots how close is it to the grodan block ? do you run the air stone all the
time ? thanks les matzek

You definitely run the air stone all the time. Also, it's worth considering the more expensive air stones since the cheaper ones clog up easily and they're hard to unclog.

Keep a close eye on them. My rule of thumb is that if you can't hear the bubbles louder than the pump, you need new airstones.

Regarding Airstones I like the White 4" Sandstone Airstones. They are cheap, work well, do not restrict air flow, and last a long time.

The trick to airstones is getting them placed directly below the basket or net pot, and just off the bottom of the container as leaving them on the bottom creates noise and wears the airstones out.

I have never had an airstone that is the White Sandstone ever plug on me, but then I run lots of air in my airstones.

That's good advice mrpepper. Thanks.

You wouldn't happen to have a link handy to the type of air stone you're talking about, would you?

alright, sorry for the huge delay. i have made the DWC bucket, and i have a few tomato plants started in rockwool. due to financial issues, i am just going to grow outside instead of buying lights. firstly, i started the plants about 10 days ago and all three have sprouted; the best one already is developing some second leaves, and i am probably going to use that one for the grow. i soaked the rockwool in 1/4 strength solution of GH micro/grow/bloom and i have not watered or misted the plants yet. how should i be taking care of them, i am going to start misting soon. they are under 1 27w daylight CFL and in a few more days i will transplant the best 2 to 4 inch rockwool cubes. one problem i see down the line is the extremely hot temperatures destroying my reservoirs temps. any tips to help keep the solution cool in 90+ weather?

thanks

As a follow-up to mrpepper's escellent advise:
Two things you should do for sure: get some BT and mix up some detergent and water.
Spray your plants' leaves with both. The BT will take care of the dreaded horned tomato worm and the surfactant will dissuade the rest of the bug crew (aphids, etc.)
I do this whether I grow inside or outside the greenhouse.

what is the best EC for tomato plants that are flowering